Roughly half of the law enforcement agencies in New Jersey fall under the Civil Service regulations contained in Title 11A Department of Personnel , while the other half hire in accordance with their local ordinances or regulations.
Each of these jurisdictions and police departments have their own guidelines and eligibility requirements for police officers. In addition, state and local police departments possess a large degree of subjectivity with respect to the eligibility of applicants with criminal records.
Thus, it is virtually impossible to know whether or not your criminal record will disqualify you from being a police officer. In general, however, those with a felony conviction on their record will most likely be prohibited from becoming a police officer.
Those with a felony arrest that resulted in a dismissal or a guilty plea to a lesser offense, however, may still be eligible to become a police officer. With respect to misdemeanor convictions, those with certain misdemeanor convictions on their record may also still be eligible to become a police officer. Most departments, however, would disqualify a candidate for a serious misdemeanor conviction involving violence or for an offense involving moral turpitude such as theft or perjury.
In most instances, juvenile adjudications even for those that would be equivalent to adult felonies and diversionary offenses such as Pre-Trial Intervention and Conditional Discharge would not be automatically disqualifying. In short, whether or not your criminal record will prevent you from becoming a police officer will depend on the agency you are applying with and the nature and age of your offense s.
As employment criteria varies from department to department, however, it is best to try to obtain as much information as possible from the recruiting department of the police department where you are applying for a position regarding their criteria.
Expungement and other forms of relief from the court are based on rehabilitation; therefore your chances of being hired will increase if you have your misdemeanor convictions expunged prior to applying.
Such things as completing an education or being honorably discharged from the armed services also can help offset the negative affects of a criminal record. To learn more about clearing your record, you can go through our extensive expungement information and education library. By Nolan Berggren is an attorney licensed to practice law in California. Attorney Mathew Higbee contributed to this article.
There is no way an agency will hire you if you have a felony conviction on your criminal background. In conclusion make sure to contact the recruiting department of the agency you are interested in if you have any questions regarding your criminal background.
The answer is no. Even if your case was expunged the likelihood of anyone with a felony record becoming a cop is ZERO. Even with with an expunged felony conviction the likelihood of getting hired as a police officer with a felony is ZERO.
However an offense where your license is suspended will eliminate you. Convictions of perjury, providing false information to law enforcement is a red flag, and it will disqualify you. At present, Read More. On Monday, Feb. The passage of bill Read More.
What is a Certificate of Good Conduct? Record Sealing and Employment as a Police Officer A person with a sealed record may still have difficulty becoming a police officer. Who Should I Contact?
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